Introductory
Prayer:Lord, I believe in you. I place myself before you. Thank you for the gift of
faith. How can I ever repay you for it? Jesus, I hope in you. May your presence today keep my will
set on glorifying you. Lord, I love you and I long for my heart to be filled with your love.

Petition:Lord Jesus Christ, help me to value and promote the sanctity of
the family.

1. The Holy Family:Today we celebrate the solemn memorial of the
Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. A family blossoms with the birth of a child. Jesus’ birth in
Bethlehem marks the beginning of the blossoming of the Holy Family. In today’s Gospel, with Mary and
Joseph to guide him, the Son of God grew and was educated. “He went down with them and came to
Nazareth, and was obedient to them.” It is a model for every family: love, care, education,
obedience. Am I grateful to my parents for my upbringing, and do I seek to express this gratitude in
concrete ways? Do I fully grasp the essential elements of family life and try to promote them the
best I can?

2. Parenting Is Never Easy:Mary and Joseph were attentive to Jesus’
every step. But no parent is perfect — there are times when the child can slip away. Here we see
them racing back to Jerusalem in search of Jesus, as well as their delight at finding him once
again. Mary and Joseph experienced the same emotions every parent does while raising a child:
moments of anxiety and joy. Do I patiently embrace the moments of anxiety in my family life? Do I
strive to spread joy to all the members of my family?

3. The Obedience of Jesus:Every child needs the authority and direction of parents. Number 532 of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church states: “Jesus' obedience to his mother and legal father fulfills the fourth
commandment perfectly and was the temporal image of his filial obedience to his Father in heaven.
The everyday obedience of Jesus to Joseph and Mary both announced and anticipated the obedience of
Holy Thursday: ‘Not my will. . .’ The obedience of Christ in the daily routine of his hidden life
was already inaugurating his work of restoring what the disobedience of Adam had destroyed.” Do I
appreciate the important role of obedience in my life, and am I seeking carefully to instill it in
my children? Within the family of the Church do I have a filial attitude towards the Holy Father? Do
I know, understand and support his teachings and guidelines?

Conversation with Christ:
Lord, help me to keep my mind on the things above. How little I reflect on the
Incarnation, even during the Christmas season! Help me to be ever more mindful that you
dwell in my heart. Let me radiate your presence today in my own family. Let them see your
goodness reflected in my words and actions.

Join the new media evangelization. Your tax-deductible gift allows Catholic.net to build a culture of life in our nation and throughout the world. Please help us promote the Church's new evangelization by donating to Catholic.net right now. God bless you for your generosity.